Adrien and the Chocolate Factory
by OACrutchfeild
Summary: Five golden tickets went out. Five lucky children managed to snag them. Five children entered the Miraculous Chocolate Factory. Only one, though, can win.
1. Chapter 1

There's always been something unsettling about the chocolate factory.

Adrien isn't sure what it is about it that he finds so unnerving, other than the obvious- nobody ever enters, and nobody ever leaves. And those whispers in town about that family that opened a competing bakery five years back, before their daughter disappeared, but his father always says that rumors are rumors, and amount to nothing without evidence.

All the same, the Miraculous Chocolate Factory, wonderful though it is, holds a sense of foreboding.

It is for this reason that, when the Golden Tickets were announced, he didn't bother to participate in the worldwide hunt for them. He had all the candy he wanted (all the candy his father would allow at least) already, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was behind those tall, dark gates.

And it wasn't because he could still see the bright blue eyes and dark black curls as she'd run up to him, begging for help, screaming something indistinguishable, the day before she'd gone missing. It wasn't.

...

The first to find a ticket was plastered all over the news, a cute little girl called Manon Chamack, who's face is covered in chocolate. Her mother laughs about how they always knew that Manon would win. "She must eat more candy than the rest of her class put together!"

It's cute. Adrien knows it's cute, everyone knows it's cute, and Manon's giggle is the envy of all the children of the world.

...

"Adrien, the kwami, it wants Maman and Papa to-!"

...

The second was the mayor's daughter, Chloé. She beamed out from the television, holding the ticket proudly, her ponytail bouncing, the diamonds around her neck glittering. Her father stood behind her, proudly. "When Chloé says she has to have something, well, it's my duty as a parent to make sure she gets it!"

The story of how he spent tax dollars forcing people to open candy bars for Chloé caused quite a few late-night news reports, but she had the ticket anyway.

...

"Adrien, please, help me! It's the ladybugs, Adrien, they're coming for me!"

...

The third was a girl with dark hair down to her knees, with a big smile as she chewd a bit of bubblegum. Bridgette Dexter laughed, playing with the collar of her jacket, and tracing circles in the dirt with the toe of her shoe- a girl of habit clearly. "Normally I chew gum, but the contest made me switch to Miraculous bars instead... and I just got lucky I guess," she blushed modestly.

She seemed a sweet, if socially awkward girl, as bouncy as her gum, with a bright smile. The media loved her.

...

"Promise me you won't eat the candy, Adrien! Please, they'll p-put me in it!"

...

"Any idiot could have done it," Félix Malheur told the press, not bothering to look up from his book. "If you checked the manufacturing date, offset by the weather, and found the derivative of the serial number, you'd notice that all the 'Golden Ticket' bars were made on the same day and within fifteen digits of each other. I only had to buy one candy bar."

The reporter seemed offput. "Well... how was it?"

"Not a big chocolate fan, didn't eat it. Ask my brother if you must."

...

Gabriel handed his son a bar of chocolate.

Adrien looked up, confusion in his gaze. "Father, what is this?"

"A candy bar, what does it look like?"

Adrien hesitates, tracing the label on the bar. "Father, I don't usually eat these... I thought I wasn't supposed to have candy..."

"It didn't seem quite right," Gabriel shrugged. "The entire world is participating in this... game. You drive past the factory every day, and one candy bar won't kill you."

Adrien hesitates, and it isn't because of Marinette, he swears it isn't.

Of course there's a golden ticket inside.

...

That's how Adrien came to be standing outside the gates on this ice cold morning, glancing at the four kids around him. Chloé looks annoyed, banging on the gate. "Open up!" she snaps. "Daddy, make him open the gates!"

"Chloé sweetheart, there's a minute left-"

"I want to go in now!"

"I was going to sell it," Félix casually explains to Bridgette. "It doesn't seem like this is going to be such an incredible experience, but I got curious, and you know what they say."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you mean?" a voice chirps from the speakers.

The gates swing open, and a sudden gust of wind sends the five children stumbling in. "Parents, please step away. Your kids will be dropped off at the end of the day!" the same voice calls out. "Kids, come closer. Do you wanna see something amazing?"

"Wait a sec!" Félix cuts in. "The tickets said we should bring a guardian, we're all minors, this isn't safe."

"Do you want to leave?" There's a giggle. "We wouldn't mind. You getting a ticket in the first place was a stroke of bad luck, you shouldn't even have one."

"C'mon, Fé," Bridgette tugs at his jacket sleeve. "It's publicized, it's totally safe. What, like a candy store would hurt us? Don't you wanna explore?"

He closes his eyes, but nods. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Oh, bad luck," the voice sighs. Adrien wonders if they just hate Félix's lack of enthusiasm, or if there's something deeper about this. Overall, he's starting to feel very uncomfortable.

Bridgette starts chewing rapidly at her gum, while Manon rushes towards the doors with reckless abandon, and Félix takes a step forward, before suddenly finding himself slipping on ice that surely wasn't there a second ago. Chloé sneers at the three, before looking up at Adrien with goo-goo eyes. "Oh, Adrien! Look how silly they are, what a shame we'll have to spend time around these pathetic creatures."

Adrien closes his eyes, walking up to the doors, that open, revealing a magnificent display of lights, and laughter, the images of the cat and ladybug shining in the air. When the lights fade, a young man and woman stand, dressed in green and red respectively, hands outstretched. "Welcome to the Miraculous Chocolate Factory!" they chorus. "We hope you'll enjoy your stay!"

Manon runs through the doors first, followed by Chloé. Bridgette laughs, helping Félix up and pulling him through the door...

"Are you coming, Adrien?" the man in green asks.

"Yeah, of course," he murmurs, following the other four quickly.

He'll regret it very soon.


	2. Chapter 2

The hallway they step into is cold, and blank, and bare, and very long. It reminds Adrien of home, in a really depressing way...

And then suddenly they're at the end, and he realizes that where he thought the hallway extended, there is simply a wall, with a very small door. "Enter," the man in green and woman in red chant.

Félix grips Bridgette's hand tightly. "How're we meant to fit?" he mutters. "It's tiny, it won't work."

Manon runs toward the door, giggling as she tries to push through... opening up the whole wall. "Whoa!"

The room is incredible, covered in every color imaginable, with beautiful flora, and incredible landscape. "What... are those flowers?" Bridgette whispers, stepping in slowly, eyes widening as she blows a bubble of gum. "I've never seen anything like them!"

"It's candy," Félix says softly, looking around. "It's insane, but it's all candy. You can smell it, it's practically overpowering."

The man in green looks annoyed. "Yes, yes, quite right," he mutters. "All edible, all the plants, and rocks, and even the workers are edible."

"Are you?" Chloé sneers.

"Yes, little girl, but that is called cannibalism and it's actually frowned on in most societies," he snaps.

Félix walks down the path, plucking a candied cherry from a tree, inspecting it. "This is impressive," he admits begrudgingly.

"Enjoy," the woman in red laughs. "Eat to your heart's content."

The cherry passes his lips, and he almost immediately gags, coughing up a pit. "What the hell? I thought it was candy!"

"The separation machine must be acting up," the man in green smirked. "What bad luck."

...

Adrien wanders through the wonderland, wide-eyed, when he hears a voice. "Adrien, get out of here!"

He spins around, and has to fight a scream of horror.

The thing behind him has skin made of taffy, lips of frosting, hair of black licorice, nails of cherry drops, and a dress made of chocolate... and human eyes.

Familiar, blue eyes.

"Adrien, you need to run, please!" she tells him in a hushed, terrified tone. "I'm not supposed to talk, but I know what they're planning, please, leave!"

"M-marinette?"

Her eyes suddenly go blank, as she steps backward, hidden by the trees. Adrien pushes the branches away, but she's gone...

"Whatcha lookin' for, kid?"

Adrien spins around to see the man in green, giving a very frightening smile. "J-just wanted to find out if there was any white chocolate here, it's my favorite..."

"Nasty stuff," the man in green wrinkles his nose. "Tikki loves the candy, but I never understood it myself. I much prefer cheeses."

Adrien forces a smile. "That's sort of silly, to run a chocolate factory if you hate candy."

"Not really. I don't eat the candy. That's not what it's here for." He tilts his head. "Try a Maridrop."

Adrien schools his expression into one of mild curiosity, forcing that blank taffy face out of his mind. Those eyes... "What's a Maridrop? Where do I get one?"

"Right above your head," the man in green points to the branch dangling over Adrien, at the shiny red droplets of candy that hover over his head.

Maridrops. What's in a Maridrop? It can't be what the dreadful feeling that twists the insides of his stomach is telling him it must be. And he's being very silly, because if he's right, he's at the mercy of a mad man who cannot under any circumstances know Adrien's getting wise.

He reaches up, plucking a Maridrop from it's branch, and letting it slide down his throat. It's sweet, sweeter than any candy Adrien has ever tried, floral almost, with the dulcet hints of what he can only describe as innocence, kindness, and compassion. It takes just like what being around Marinette Dupain-Cheng always felt like, and Adrien thinks he'll quite easily throw up when he gets home, for although he knows it is impossible, the pounding of his heart makes him face the fact that it is the truth.

"Do you like it very much, kid?" Plagg asks, raising an eyebrow, and flashing a terrifying smile, full of sharp teeth and dangerous glinting rage. "Are you in love with the taste? Well?"

Adrien is spared having to answer by a scream.

...

Manon Chamack is screaming, fighting to stay afloat in the river of chocolate, while the woman in red watches, smiling idly.

"What are you doing?" Bridgette screams. "Save her!"

"Oh no. Police. Help," the man in green laughs.

Félix rolls up his sleeves, running to the edge of the water, before tripping on a candy rock that was certainly not in his path before. By the time he scrambles to his feet, the screaming has stopped...

For Manon is being sucked up a long tube.

"What is this?" he demands, horror in his voice as the tube sucks the little girl up. "Where is she going? How did she fall in?"

"The little brat was sullying the river," the woman in red snaps. "She slipped and fell... she's off to the fudge room now."

"The fudge room?"

"Where she'll be..."

Suddenly, children emerge from the trees, in perfect synchronization... children made of candy, like the girl Adrien saw before.

Children with human eyes.

They begin to sing.

"Manon Chamack! Manon Chamack!

The great big greedy little brat!

Manon Chamack!

So mannerless and vile

So greedy, foul, and infantile

'Come on!' we cried, 'The time is ripe

To send her shooting up the pipe!

But don't, dear children, be alarmed;

Manon Chamack will not be harmed,

Manon Chamack will not be harmed"

Adrien stares around in horror, as his eyes meet Marinette's. She stares him down, continuing the song.

"Although, of course, we must admit

She will be altered quite a bit.

Slowly, the wheels go round and round,

The cogs begin to grind and pound;

We boil her for a minute more,

Until we're absolutely sure

Then out she comes! And now! By grace!

A miracle has taken place!

A miracle has taken place!

This greedy brat, this louse's ear,

Is loved by people everywhere!

For who could hate or bear a grudge

Against a luscious bit of fudge?"


	3. Chapter 3

"What... what just happened?" Bridgette whispers, staring up the tube. "That looked... rehearsed."

"They knew it was going to happen," Félix says suddenly, turning to the woman in red. "You made it happen. You pushed her, didn't you?"

"Oh I don't know what you're talking about," she smiles brightly. "The little greedy brat tried to swallow more than she should have."

"And you killed her for it?" Chloé looks terrified.

"She'll be fine," the man in green rolls his eyes.

"You just said she'd be made into fudge!"

"Look around you. The Sugarkids were all... well, they're perfectly happy and fine now, aren't you?"

"Yes Father," the children chorus... but Adrien hears one tiny, broken "No," from a tiny child made of marshmallows and chocolate.

The man in green steps up to the little boy, leaning down to meet his eyes. "You're not happy?"

"I-I'm happy!" he says quickly, falling in line.

"That's what I thought you said."

Adrien looks back, towards where Marinette stands, expressionlessly looking up at the pipe. "Will she be able to go home?" he asks quietly.

"Of course, of course," the man in green waves him off. "She won't actually become fudge, the Sugarkids are animatronics anyway. She'll be just fine."

Félix looks unconvinced. "Nobody could have survived that. She was under for a long time, and those suction tubes make it impossible to breathe, she'd have suffocated-"

"You're annoying, stop talking. Shall we continue the tour?"

Félix shakes his head. "No, I want to get out of here. Now."

"Well," the woman in red smiles sweetly, "I'm afraid we can't always get what we want, you little mistake. You weren't meant to be here at all, you nasty little devil, but you were just too clever for your own good. You're stuck on the tour now, but don't worry. It's all perfectly safe."

Félix shook his head. "I'm going back."

"Back where?"

The children turn, but the door they came through has vanished. "What...?" Chloé frowns. "Where'd it go?"

"Magic. Now, best to press on," the man in green smirks, leading them into a boat.

...

Bridgette sits in the back, beside Félix, blowing another gum bubble. "You know she's fine, right? They wouldn't let us die."

"I know what the limits of the human body are. And there's no way for a kid that small to survive what just happened." He opens his eyes, meeting Bridgette's. "We have to stick together. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what, young man?"

The pair spin around in the boat, Félix pulling Bridgette closer. "Nothing," he says quickly. "Nothing at all."

"Good," the woman in red smiles. "I bet you'll love the next room- the inventing room!"

They pull up to said room, which has a bright blue door. "Get in."

The kids stumble through the door, into a marvelous room, full of smoking machines, and bright candies.

"Whoa," Adrien whispers, looking around. It's undeniably incredible, as he reaches out, lifting a small blue candy. "What's this?"

"Everlasting gobstopper, try it," the woman in red smiles.

"I want one!" Chloé declares, grabbing three of them from the vat.

"One," the man in green pulls two from her hands, "is enough for anybody."

"Hey, give them back!" she reaches for the candies, but the man holds them out of reach.

"Why should I? Does the word 'Everlasting' mean nothing to you?"

"I need one for Sabrina and one for Daddy, duh!"

"Sabrina?" Bridgette tilts her head questioningly.

"Sabrina's my best friend!"

"Sabrina didn't get a golden ticket," the man in green sneers, dropping the candies into the hands of Bridgette and Félix instead.

Bridgette subversively slides hers back to Chloé. "I don't like hard candy, anyway," she whispers. "I like stuff I can chew."

Félix tosses his candy to her without abandon. "I don't really like candy at all anyway."

"Then why," the woman in red asks, smiling through gritted teeth, "did you hack your way into coming to a chocolate factory?"

"Cash," he shrugs. "I got offers for up to five thousand dollars, but then, like an idiot, I got curious as to why it was worth so much. So I willingly came into this madhouse."

"The ticket was meant for someone else, you know that?"

Chloé tilts her head. "I thought the tickets were random?"

"Hey! Tikki, lets show 'em the gum machine, that's something chewable for the girl with the long hair," the man in green grins.

"That sounds lovely, Plagg," the woman in red nods. "She did give the girl her own candy. She deserves this."

Félix takes Bridgette's hand, worry in his eyes. "I don't like the look on her face. This isn't safe."

"Knock it off, Fé," she giggles. "It's just gum, what's wrong with that?"

"You saw what happened to that girl."

She hesitates. "Well, this is different, it's gum. I know gum."

"Bridgette-"

"Félix," she pulls her arm out of his grip. "Chill." She walks after the man and woman (Tikki and Plagg?) toward a machine that bubbles and boils, creaks and moans, and spits out a stick of blue gum.

"The most amazing gum in the world," Tikki giggles. "Why, it's a full, three course meal on a stick!"

"What's in it?" Bridgette asks cheerfully, inspecting it.

"This particular stick is chicken wings, a burger and fries, and blueberry pie for desert!" Tikki giggles.

"I still say we should have put camembert in there somewhere," Plagg mutters.

Félix puts a hand on her shoulder. "Bridgette, this isn't a good idea..."

She pops the stick in her mouth, and her eyes grow wide. "Oh, wow! This is amazing, it really does taste just like chicken!"

"Blow a bubble to go onto the next course," Tikki grins.

Bridgette blows an impressive bubble, and gasps when it pops, moaning. "Oh my god, that's wonderful! It's got to be the best hamburger I've ever tasted!"

"The pie's better," Plagg smirks.

Bridgette nods, blowing the bubble quickly. "Ohhh!" she gasps, licking her lips. "It's amazing!" She closes her eyes, not noticing as her nose begins to turn blue.

"Bridgette..."

"Félix, stop. It's so good, seriously, this stuff is going to sell wonderouselly!"

"Bridgette, your face has gone blue."

"What?" her eyes open, as her stomach gurgles, and the slender body begins to expand. Her stomach is first, making a potbelly that swells over the waistline of her shorts, popping buttons off. "Oh my god!"

"Well, we haven't gotten the formula quite right," Tikki comments, as Bridgette's thighs grow, expanding her shorts to the breaking point, and her arms puff up, her cheeks gaining pudge as her neck all but vanishes under the growth.

"Help me! Make it stop!" she cries out, the gum falling from her lips, getting caught in her hair as her stomach reaches the ground, working with newfound love handles to envelope her legs. She moans in pain as her almost fully round body falls to the ground, and still does not stop growing.

"Bridgette!" Félix rushes to her side, looking for something to stick her with. "We've got to let the air out of her!"

"It's obviously not air," Chloé sneers. "Air doesn't slosh like that. It's either plain old fat, or it's juice."

Bridgette sobs, trying to move her hands to hide her face, before finding her body so swollen that they can't reach. Félix puts his arms around her, glaring up at Tikki and Plagg. "Do something! Fix her!"

"Fine, fine," Tikki shrugs, snapping her fingers, as six Sugarkids approach. "Roll Miss Bridgette to the de-juicing room, squeeze her before she pops. Show her she's very welcome in our factory, okay?"

The Sugarkids nod, and start to roll her, singing softly.

"Listen close, and listen quick  
To the tale of Little Miss Bridgette.  
The gentle girl she sees no wrong  
In chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing  
Chewing, chewing all day long

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long

She goes on chewing till at last  
Her chewing muscles grow so vast  
And from her face her giant chin  
Sticks out just like a violin

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long"

"Shut up!" Félix shouts angrily. "Can't you see she's crying? What is wrong with you?"

The kids don't stop, as they roll her out of the room.

"For years and years she chews away  
Her jaws get stronger every day  
And with one great tremendous chew  
They bite the poor girl's tongue in two  
And that is why we must work quick  
To save the Little Miss Bridgette

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing  
Chewing, chewing all day long..."

Bridgette disappears from the room. Félix stares up at the pair of confectioners, eyes glittering in fury. "How dare you?"

"We did say it's the inventing room, not every candy is perf-"

Tikki is cut off my a punch to the face, knocking her to the ground. "Let us out of here!"

Adrien will recall the next moment as long as he lives, for the woman does not get up normally. No, it is like a reverse of her fall, without moving a muscle, she manages to swing up to standing. "On with the tour, children!"

Adrien tries not to listen to the screams coming from behind the door marked "De-Juicing Room."


	4. Chapter 4

Félix stares at the door, eyes worried. "I need to get in there," he insists, pulling away from the group, and pulling at the doorknob, crying out as the electricity shocks him, but continuing to rattle it. "Bridgette, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"Félix, he-help me!"

"Let go of the door, little mistake," Tikki giggles. "You wouldn't want to disturb procedure and make the big ol' blueberry explode, would you? And with your luck, she'd take half the factory with her."

"Let me in," Félix's eyes flash. "Please."

"Well, try a stick of gum and we might not have any choice."

Adrien puts a hand of Félix's shoulder. "Hey. Stay calm. She'll be alright, it's all public, everyone knows we went in. They would't get away with hurting us permanently, and they know that."

"She's still being hurt right now!"

"I want to leave!" Chloé cries out, tears in her eyes. "I want to go home and I want it right now!"

Tikki shakes her head. "Oh, no no no! We're only halfway done! You can't leave yet, no, you simply cannot! Think of the wonderful things you'd miss out on!"

"Like being tortured to death?" Félix glares up at the woman, eyes glittering with ice. "Let us out. This isn't what we signed up for. The posters, the golden tickets, none of them said anything about being killed!"

"Nobody has been killed, and nobody will be killed," Plagg says with a vicious smile. "They're going to be quite joyful soon, and much sweeter than before. Such nasty little children..."

"Nasty?" Chloé snaps, curls bouncing as she shivers in terrified anger. "The first was like, five! And that girl was nice to me! You're just mad that they didn't do what you wanted them to!"

"Children must follow rules," the pair of confectioners chorused with bright smiles. "Children who don't obey need to be taught a lesson."

Adrien clenches his teeth, keeping his head down. Don't say a word, just smile. Just smile your way through this. Don't disobey. And then you'll be okay. It's how you've lived your life.

Do what Mother says.

Do what Father says.

Do what Plagg says.

Do what Tikki says.

It's not difficult to close his eyes. But he's getting very worried for the others... they don't seem to get it yet. They don't understand that if you don't do what you're told, you won't get anywhere. You'll be locked away from your friends again, or sent out of the house until dark, or...

Well, in this place, killed.

"That's bullshit," Félix puts an arm around Chloé protectively. "You're not our parents. You're not teachers, or police, and you can't get away with this. It's illegal."

"There are no laws here," a voice whispers from the back of the room. Adrien spins around... to see Marinette, holding the hand of a little girl with cotton candy hair, frosting skin, red licorice overalls, and terrified brown eyes. She doesn't have a mouth.

"Manon..." Félix stares at her. "What the fuck is this? What did you do?"

Chloé breaks out of Félix's grip, screaming in horror. "No! No! I want to go! I want to leave, I don't want this, let me go!" She tears down the hall, parts of her dress ripping off on a machine, her hair coming undone as she spots a window... high, high up, but she has to get to it, she has to!

She pulls her coat off, tying the sleeve in a loop, and swinging it over the hook, climbing up as fast as she can, not caring as the mink rips...

"Go on," Tikki laughs. "Jump."

Félix shakes his head. "Chloé, trust me, you don't want this!"

"How do you know what I want?" she screams, tears in her eyes. "I don't want to turn into candy! I don't want to explode like your stupid fat ass girlfriend! I want to get out of here! I want to go home and have a cupcake and make Daddy burn this place to the ground! And I want it right! Now!" With that, she jumps from the ledge...

And down into the trash shoot.

Félix stares in horror. "Where does that shoot lead?" he asks softly.

"Incinerator," Marinette answers quietly.

"Is it lit?"

"Yes."

"So... she'll burn to death?"

"Burn, yes. To death, no."

"You talk too much," Plagg snaps. "Maybe we should remove your mouth as well, how would you like that?"

"No," Tikki grins. "She has to sing, right?"

Marinette looks to Adrien, with empty eyes, as three Sugarkids join her. "Up and out," she mouths, as the others begin to sing.

"Chloé Bourgeois, the little brute,  
Has just gone down the garbage chute  
And she will meet as she descends  
A rather different set of friends  
A rather different set of friends  
A rather different set of friends"

Adrien stares at her in confusion. Up and out? What does that mean? What's she trying to tell him? He cannot ask her, however, as she joins in the song.

"A fish head, for example, cut  
This morning from a halibut.  
An oyster from an oyster stew,  
A steak that no one else would chew,  
And lots of other things as well,  
Each with a rather horrid smell.  
horrid smell"

Félix climbs up the wall, peering down through the shoot. "Are you okay?" he calls down. "Chloé, where are you?"

Only screams come up the shoot.

"These are Miss Chloé's new found friends  
That she will meet as she descends,  
These are Miss Chloé's new found friends  
Who went and spoiled her  
Who indeed?  
Who pandered to her every need?  
Who turned her into such a brat?  
Who are the culprits? Who did that?  
The guilty ones now this is sad  
Dear Old Mum and Loving Dad..."

Félix drops down from the edge of the shoot, landing on the ground. "Shut up, all of you. You sick fucks, why are you doing this?"

"Oh, you'll find out... or not," Tikki shrugs, glancing at Adrien. "This one seems more likely to get it."

"G-get what?" Adrien stammers.

"The factory," Tikki shrugs. "Might as well use the glass elevator now then, mightn't we? I'll let you pick the next room if you want, Félix."

"The exit."

"Never mind then. Adrien, you pick."

Adrien looks back at the shoot, before allowing himself to be led into the elevator.

He wonders if he or Félix will be the next to die.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien looks around the elevator hesitantly. Every inch holds a button, labeled with something incredible... And dangerous. He stares at the walls, wondering what would be the best for survival...

"What's your favorite room, Mr. Plagg?" he asks hesitantly.

"Hmm," the man taps his chin. "I quite enjoy the Bloodberry room, the cheese candies room, the Television room..."

Félix's ears prick up. "Television room?" If they can get to a place with communication software... "I want to go there. Please."

Plagg scoffs down at him. "You always did strike me as a lazy bum."

"You just said it was one of your favorite rooms..."

Plagg rolls his eyes, pressing the button marked "TV."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Adrien whispers.

"I do. I always do."

Adrien cringes as the elevator lands with a thud, and it's not until they're being ushered out that he sees the button... the button labeled "Up and Out."

He had to find a way to press that button...

"Wear these," Plagg orders, handing Félix and Adrien each a pair of glasses. "Otherwise your eyes will fall out."

The two boys glance at each other nervously, sliding the glasses on. "Really hope you know," Adrien murmurs.

The room is extremely brightly lit, and Adrien can't tell the purpose of it. A small, box-like television set sits in the corner, and a tall platform stands across the room from it. "So, what's it do?" Félix asks, faux casually.

"A way to distribute free samples, of course," Plagg grins. "See, Tikki and I were thinking about television."

"That Nino boy does love it-"

"Nino?" Adrien asks in confusion.

"He was supposed to be here, but there was a bit of a screwup after someone," Tikki shoots Félix a harsh look, "hacked his ticket."

"So... who got the tickets was fixed," Félix says softly. "I wasn't selected. Is there a reason why you didn't intend to torture me, or was it just an accident?"

"Nino Lahiffe was good friends with a girl called Alya Cesaire. Her mother was a famous pastry chef," Tikki explains cheerfully. "Was."

"Chloé Bourgeois cared for Alya quite a bit as well," Plagg comments. "And Bridgette Dexter was close with Allegra Mellodie, the daughter of a man who made delicious hot cocoa, better than anything anyone else could."

"Manon Chamack was babysat by a girl called Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who's parents were bakers, and she'd been on the news begging for the girl's safety one too many times, you know how it goes. Adrien here... he knew Miss Marinette as well. Didn't you, Adrien?"

Adrien freezes, a smile plastered on his face, eyes blank, trying to fight tears. "I think I knew a girl called Marinette, but that was over a year ago now. I don't know what that has to do with the golden ticket..."

"Don't play dumb, Adrien. We know you looked for her. We know you begged your father to send search parties. We know you talked to her, and we know what she told you about this place."

"Just as Nino and Chloé fought to continue the search for Chloé's missing girlfriend. Just as Bridgette researched obsessively for nearly a year on everything related to Allegra's disappearance, and came too, too close."

Félix stares in abject horror at the two confectioners. "You aren't letting us out alive."

"Untrue," Plagg tilts his head. "One of you will be the one to take over the factory. The least rotten child. The one willing to obey. Willing to continue tradition."

"And that's never, ever going to be me." Félix looks up. "So. What's this room do? You never answered."

Plagg raises an eyebrow. "It's for commercial use. See, we were thinking, if tv can take a picture, break it up into a million tiny pieces, send it through the air, and make it appear on a television screen..."

"Why not do the same with candy?" Tikki finishes with a giggle.

Félix frowns. "Waves aren't tiny pieces, they're incorporeal..." He trails off. "Then again, after what I've seen today..."

"Bring out the chocolate for demonstration!" Tikki calls.

Félix's stomach turns as the Sugarkids enter, carrying a giant candy bar. Manon's there, and he can hear screaming from the door they came out of.

Marinette stares at Adrien harshly. "Up and out," she mouths again, angrily. Like he doesn't know.

The candy bar is placed on the stand, and suddenly, a laser shoots down from the ceiling, as the television flickers on.

"Miraculous chocolate is the best in the world!" the man laughs. "Don't believe me? Try for yourself!"

The laser hits the chocolate bar, and suddenly, the candy appears onscreen. Plagg nudges Adrien. "Go on. Take it."

Adrien reaches out, hesitantly pulling the bar out from inside the screen, unwrapping it.

Pure chocolate.

Félix glances up at the stand. "That... sends things into commercials?"

"Into television, yes."

Félix takes a deep breath, before racing up to the stand, slamming the "All Channels" button, and then, "Start." "I'm going to tell everyone," he hisses. "I'm going to make sure all those kids are freed, and this place burns!"

"Sure you will," Tikki smiles encouragingly as the laser is pointed down at Félix. "And you're gonna be the world's first astronaut president too!"

For a moment, uncertainty flickers in Félix's eyes, but it's too late to go back now... he's already been hit.

He appears on the screen, two inches tall, a moment later. "Listen, everyone!" he cries. "My name is Félix Evan Malheur, I won the fourth golden ticket and I'm here to tell you that the Miraculous factory is not what it seems! They kidnap children and force them to become slaves, and they've mutilated three of us already. Save us! Please!"

Tikki smiles sweetly. "Are you done yet?"

Félix looks up in confusion. "Shouldn't you be running right now?"

"No. Did you actually think the candy was ready for broadcast? It's only sent to the one tv set," Tikki giggles. "You, on the other hand..."

She flips the channel, and suddenly, Félix turns to see a large stone rolling down the tunnel towards him. He cries out, dashing away, eyes wide, until he finds a hole in the wall, only to turn and see a man with a knife, who's blade he ducks, before being hit by a giant fighting robot.

Tikki idly flips through the channels. "Stop fighting," she smiles. "Children, how about a so-?"

"NO!" the door bursts open, and a horrible sight meets their eyes.

Bridgette is blue, and retains quite a bit of juice, particularly around her face and midsection. That isn't what frightens Adrien, though... the thing that scares him is that the skin is stripped from her arm, neck, and half her chest, partially painted over with blue frosting. Her nails are gone, the few that aren't covered by candy corn leaving bloody wounds, and her hair has been torn out, replaced by sugar floss. A Sugarkid, midway through the making.

Bridgette spits blood, sprinting as fast as she can to where Félix is dodging bullets, reaching in. "I won't let you hurt him!" she cries out, pulling him out of the television, and holding him close.

"Bridgette..." he whispers. "Bridgette, what have they done to you?"

"Better than they have planned for you."

"We aren't going to lie down and take it anymore!" a voice calls out, as a horribly burned girl steps out the door, hand-in-hand with a Sugargirl with red licorice curls. "What do we want?"

"Freedom!" the kids come rushing from the doors.

"WHEN DO WE WANT IT?" Chloé screams.

"NOW!"

And for one, shining moment, it looks as though the kids could overpower Tikki and Plagg...

Then that moment ends.


	6. Chapter 6

Tikki raises a hand, and the sugarkids freeze in their tracks. "You're being very, very naughty," she whispers, taking a step towards them, reaching towards the girl with the red licorice curls.

"Don't you dare!" Chloé screeches, stepping in front of the girl, slapping Tikki across the face. "Don't you dare touch her! My Daddy's gonna send you to jail!"

"Your Daddy," Tikki responds, "is going to be too busy grieving the loss of his darling daughter at the hands of the maniac who somehow slipped through security, killing three other kids and himself, to worry about confectioners."

"Then I'll send you to hell myself!" she snaps... before Plagg comes up behind her, injecting what looks like frosting into her neck. Chloé slumps to the ground, unconscious.

There is an opening towards the elevator. Adrien runs.

"Hey, kid, stop!" Plagg shouts, as Adrien hovers his hand over the button.

Up and Out.

"You don't want me to press this. Do you?" he meets the man's eyes. "I'm not the 'least rotten' sir. I'm rotten to the core. I just know how to hide it." He tilts his head. "Let my friends go, and you can negotiate. Or I hit this, it takes me the hell out of here, and I come back with the police. What'll it be?"

The confectioners exchang a nervous glance. They hadn't expected Adrien Agreste to fight back, especially after a conversation Plagg had staged with the boy's father, offering a candy bar for the perfect boy who always did what he was told to. And they absolutely do not want that button pressed.

"You can press it if you like," Tikki shrugs. "If you want to share the same fate as the rest of them. It's your own life you're throwing away, not ours."

Adrien looks up at Marinette, who nods in encouragement, and raises his fist, swinging it down towards the button.

"Wait!"

Adrien looks up, smiling- a perfect, innocent smile. "Yes Mr. Plagg?"

"How much do you want?"

"I want you to place Manon Chamack, Bridgette Dexter, Chloé Bourgeois, Félix Malheur, Alya Cesaire, Allegra Mellodie, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng in this elevator, and let them leave the factory. Alive, and without risk of being brought back," he places a finger on the button.

Plagg and Tikki share a glance. "After what's been seen today?"

"They talk, you take them back. We all know you can do it. None of us are willing to risk that."

Marinette meets his eyes, and shakes her head slightly. Adrien sighs, shaking his head.

"Too late!" he chirps, bringing his fist down on 'Up and Out.'

Plagg lunges toward him as the elevator skyrockets up, but it's too fast... far too fast, and suddenly Adrien is staring at the arm, fingers still reaching toward him, on the floor, blood spilling from where the doors sliced it from the body it was once attached to... fingers still MOVING, as the arm drags itself across the floor, towards the button...

Adrien shouts in horror, kicking at the arm, but it grabs onto his ankle, nails biting into Adrien's skin, cutting through flesh, into muscle painfully, and slowly starting to move up his leg, each motion digging into his leg deeply.

Adrien grabs the arm, and pulls, hard, before the scent reaches him. That scent is not of blood... it's cherry syrup.

The arm is made of candy.

Adrien tries not to let his stomach turn as he rips the arm off, the nails tearing at chunks of his flesh, and he wonders what exactly 'Up and Out' does...

He discovers it when the elevator strikes the glass roof, and both promptly shatter.

...

Félix stares at the crumpled pile of candy where Plagg, until very recently, stood. "What on Earth...?"

"We need to run," Bridgette says softly. "Adrien made us an exit, look!"

And she is indeed correct, for there is a hidden staircase behind the elevator's path of destruction, leading toward a light at the top. She sets Félix on her shoulder, and dashes up the staircase, as fast as her new body allows for- a surprisingly high speed. Alya grabs Chloé, following them, and a girl with candy-floss hair, Allegra, slowly steps out after.

Marinette stands in front of Tikki, blocking her passage after the runaway Sugarkids.

"Move!" the woman hisses, blue eyes darkening. "Move before the master rots me!"

"You know you deserve it." Marinette's voice is high, and cold, and sugary sweet. "You know you deserve it for all the children you killed. You know you deserve it for my life. For Adrien's. For all theirs. You know you deserve it!"

"They will never survive outside the factory. They'll melt."

"Perhaps."

"Then what's the point of this?" Tikki cries out, falling to her knees. "Why let them out?"

"They will be seen. It will be known what this factory makes. And chocolate... chocolate will stop selling when they realize it's made of children."

"The best taste in the world..."

Tikki crumbles away into a pile of sugar, leaving Marinette shaking, as she falls to her knees, and finally, finally, she's able to cry. "A-adrien, I'm sorry..."

"What is there to be sorry for?"

Marinette spins around, eyes going wide at the sight of the boy, coming down in a shattered glass elevator, his leg a mess of flesh and glass lacerations covering him, but...

"Alive?" she whispers.

"Alive."

"I can heal you," she says quietly. "But you'll never be able to leave. You'll be like me. And when the factory gets shut down, you'll die like me."

"Then we'll just have to keep it open, won't we?" he grins. "But first, I'd like to know- who really runs this candy store?"

"Me."

Marinette jumps in front of Adrien, as a very old man makes his way out the door. A man with twinkling eyes and a disarming smile. "I'm the Master Miraculous. And I'm very disappointed in you, Adrien."

For some reason, Adrien feels a sinking, sad feeling at the thought of disappointing this man. "What? Why?"

"Your father said you were a good boy. That you listened to adults. That you were more smart than clever, and more calculated than creative. Perfect for my needs..." he sighs, shaking his head. "But you've proved to be a destructive little brat... a destructive... little..."

"No, please!" Marinette cries, spreading her arms out to shield Adrien. "Don't hurt him! It was all me, he was just listening to me!"

"Now now, little girl, you'll get your candy too," the master promises. "After all, I need new head confectioners, don't I?" He kicks the pile of sugar that was Tikki. "Maybe not human this time. Something easier to train. Like.. a Sugarcat. And a Sugarbug. Those will sell, don't you think?"


End file.
